CFA Members Announce January Statewide Strike

The CFA Board of Directors unanimously voted to call for a system-wide strike in coalition with our Teamsters Local 2010 members January 22–26.

This strike builds on the show of solidarity during the first week of December when thousands of faculty, students, staff, and community allies turned out to our picket lines and shut down the campuses at Pomona, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Sacramento.

In the aftermath, our CFA Bargaining Team met with CSU management only to discover that – despite our heartfelt efforts – they’ve refused to make any significant movement on our proposals. They seem reassured that we will eventually surrender to our dismal working conditions, paltry wages, inadequate parental leave, shortage of counseling faculty, lack of gender inclusive restrooms, and a host of other injustices that plague the CSU system.

Faculty on the picket line told a different story. They held steadfast to the belief that we can make a difference in the lives of others when we band together.

“Our members refuse to give in to what they know is beneath their worth,” said Charles Toombs, CFA President. “Unlike management, we are unwilling to be complicit in the harming of our colleagues, students, and staff. Our commitment to one another is unshakeable.”

Given the ongoing disregard of management, the CFA Board of Directors have called for a five-day strike at the start of the Spring 2024 semester that will take place on all 23 CSU campuses. We will be striking with Teamsters Local 2010 members as we collectively push for a fair contract for our workers. United, we will let CSU management know that we are ready to shut down the CSU.

“As CSU management refuses to listen, we have no alternative but to disrupt the business of the CSU to get their attention. We will not tolerate disrespect for the people who make the CSU work. We will continue to hold strong on the picket lines and let management know we are not frightened by their posturing and empty threats. The CSU runs on union labor and they need the dedicated employees and students for the system to function,” said Meghan O’Donnell, CFA Associate Vice President of Lecturers, North, and CSU Monterey Bay lecturer.

The strikes are dependent on whether our CFA Bargaining Team’s upcoming meetings with CSU management on January 8, 9, 11, and 12 will bear fruit. They can, at any time, prevent a strike by offering us a fair contract. If they do not, then we will escalate our job actions to create a more promising future for all of us.

Visit www.calfac.org/strike for FAQs and more information. If you have other questions or concerns, please reach out to us at bargainingideas@calfac.org.